Matthew Lillard biography

Michigan-born and California-raised actor Matthew Lillard began acting when
he found he could escape the pressures of school by delving into theater. He
began acting professionally soon after graduating from high school, earning his Screen Actors Guild card while working as an extended extra for the straight-to-video project Ghoulies 3: Ghoulies Go To College (1991)and hosting the short-lived Nickelodeon television series SK8 TV.

After attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena, Lillard subsequently
moved to New York where he studied at the famed Circle in the Square for two years. While performing in a stage production of A Child's Christmas in Wales, he met Bill Treusch who got Lillard an audition for Serial Mom (1994). After three auditions, he won the role of Kathleen Turner's son Chip. He then began another theater company called the Summoners.

Lillard followed up his performance in Serial Mom by playing Mira Sorvino's
boyfriend in Tarantella and a whacko computer nerd in Hackers (both 1995).
The following year, Lillard launched his star power winning critical acclaim
and international recognition for his hyper-kinetic portrayal of teen serial
killer Stuart in the hit horror film Scream.